Vocation Stories & Seminary Life

"Mom, I don't know what I'm going to be in this world!" These are the words my eight year old self uttered to my Mom when she found me in my room crying one night.

So, I guess you could say have been discerning my call in life for quite sometime. My family and I are converts to Catholicism, and before becoming Catholic we were unhappy with our church and decided to visit every Lutheran church in Portland in search of a good fit. Church after church, we felt something was missing. For a multitude of reasons, we decided to visit a Catholic church. St. Cecilia felt like coming home for all of us and soon thereafter we joined the R.C.I.A program. We went through the R.C.1.A program together at St. Cecilia and were received into the Church in 2004, while I was in the sixth grade. I then attended St. Cecilia School for seventh and eighth grade, where I grew in my knowledge of the Catholic faith.

I was very happy being Catholic. After being Lutheran for years, I grew to appreciate the authority of the Catholic Church. The unity and universality present in the Church truly represent the message of the Gospel Through my experience as an altar Server I came to love Mass and became acquainted with the wonderful priests at St. Cecilia. The priesthood did not cross my mind as a vocation until I reached seventh grade. I was in the lunchroom, when Fr. Peter Fernandes SFX told me that he thought I would be a good priest. His example and encouragement ignited the spark in me to discern a vocation to die priesthood.

After finishing high school, my next natural step was college. My love for music led me to consider majoring in vocal performance at Willamette University. It was during this first year of college when I really began to discern the priesthood seriously. I was unsettled at Willamette and felt like God had something else planned for me. Through prayer and spiritual direction I searched more deeply for God's call in my life. This discernment led me to apply to the Archdiocese of Portland and then Mount Angel Seminary.

I am now in my third year of formation at Mount Angel Seminary, and it has been a period of great growth for me. I am enjoying my studies, and I have formed some strong friendships with my brother seminarians. I would not be here on the hilltop without the constant support of my family. Not every seminarian has parents and family who support their discernment. 1 am very blessed to have the gift of their support. I credit my parents and siblings for my strong foundation, my family helped make mc into the man I am today.

Formation on the hilltop is focused on four pillars of formation - spiritual, academic, human, and pastoral formation - and each plays an important role in our formation and discernment of Christ's priesthood. An important part of seminary formation is finding a balance, which has been a major area of growth for me in my life on the hilltop and the outside world.

For me the most moving part of the priesthood is ministering to others and working with God's people. I enjoy making connections and having conversations with others about faith and life. The moments I feel God's call the most are through my interactions with others. I am touched when I talk with someone and they share their faith with me. This is often a humbling experience and provides an opportunity for my own personal growth.

When my mom heard me in distress that day when I was a young boy she responded, "John, God has a plan for you, so all you have to worry about is being the best eight year old you can be,"

She was right. God has a plan for each and every one of us. I pray that Christ forms my heart to be more like His, as I continue to discern His call in my life. I appreciate everyone who prays for me, and my fellow seminarians as we discern God's will.

In Christ,

John Hesla Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

As I come ever closer to the time when 1 will lay down my life in ordination at the service of the Church I cannot help but be thankful for all of you, for your years of prayer and support. My time at St Cecilia's has been some of the most edifying and joy- filled of my life. For that, I give thanks to God.

For those of you who do not know me allow me to briefly invite you into my story. I was born in Portland and raised in Beaverton where I attended Holy Trinity School from Kindergarten to 8 1 grade. 1 home schooled for high school and then completed two years at the University of Portland before transferring and finishing my degree in Theology/Philosophy at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. It was there, at the ripe young age of 21, that the idea of priesthood first catered my mind and heart. I was initially anything but excited about the prospect. My mom had once asked me when I was 4 if I wanted to be a priest. After t inquired about the possibility of having a family of my own and her subsequent explanation of celibacy, I politely declined. At FUS though the seed of interest and willingness began to truly take root. Nevertheless, in my consistent stubbornness I fought what I knew our Lord was calling me to for the better part of 6 years. It was not until 2 years ago, at the gentle urging of a local priest, that I nervously handed my Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon seminarian application to the Vocation Director at the time. After one year of Theology at Mt. Angel Seminary I was transferred to the Pontifical North American College in Rome to complete my studies.

Life here in seminary treats me very well. Our days being at 6:15 AM. With Morning Prayer and Mass. After a quick breakfast and 30 minute walk to our respective universities we attend 3-4 hours of Theology classes, some in English, most in Italian. When we return to the College about 250 of us enjoy lunch together followed by an afternoon of studying, ministering, exercising or fraternal fellowship. In the evening we often have conferences or classes that help us become better men and so hopefully better fathers. It is truly an atmosphere in which our Lord can mold us into His own likeness.

I am currently at the beginning of my 3rd year and am less than a year away from ordination to the diaconate after which I will be ordained a priest in 2015.I ask you all again for your prayers as I continue my journey and I look forward with great joy to the time when I can be with you once again as priest of Jesus Christ. Peace be with you all.

Timothy Furlow, Seminarian Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

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